On Monday 13 November 2023, it was announced that Suella Braverman would be removed from her position as Home Secretary. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been under enormous pressure over this past week to sack Braverman following her unauthorised comments regarding the police’s handling of protestors during the recent pro-Palestine marches that’ve taken place in London.

While Sunak has quite happily hidden in the corner during Braverman’s previous controversies, it seems as though public scrutiny and criticism has finally gotten to him. The PM has even announced a major cabinet reshuffle, stating that a shift in leadership will “strengthen his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future,” as reported by Sky News.

Prior to the most recent pro-Palestine march, which occurred on 11 November and attracted hundreds of thousands of protestors calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Braverman had asserted in an opinionated article for The Times newspaper that the police were “playing favourites” with how it handles “controversial” protests.

 

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The politician had gone on to insist that the ceasefire protests were in fact “hate marches,” adding: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza. They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups, particularly Islamists, of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”

It is usually assumed that any kind of comments either publicly stated or written by cabinet members are completely and utterly signed off by the Prime Minister, therefore, people were understandably outraged that Sunak would be okay with Braverman making such inflammatory statements.

Labour’s shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told news outlets: “If you have a Home Secretary that is so out of control, so divisive, so inflammatory, undermining the police and, therefore, the national security and safety of the public, that’s not someone who should be home secretary.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was seen entering 10 Downing Street this morning. It has just been confirmed that he will replace Braverman as the new Home Secretary. Although we’re yet to hear who’ll replace Cleverly in the Foreign Office, former Prime Minister David Cameron has also been seen visiting Sunak at home today. Perhaps Cameron is vying for a seat back at the table?

In a first public comment about her, well highkey embarrassing sacking, Braverman said serving in the role was “the greatest privilege” and added that she will have more to say “in due course.”